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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1854 | 1 |
| 1861 | 2 |
| 1862 | 2 |
| 1864 | 1 |
| 1872 | 3 |
| 1876 | 9 |
| 1877 | 7 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1880 | 4 |
| 1882 | 2 |
| 1883 | 10 |
| 1884 | 4 |
| 1885 | 14 |
| 1886 | 5 |
| 1887 | 13 |
| 1888 | 3 |
| 1889 | 6 |
| 1891 | 16 |
| 1892 | 13 |
| 1893 | 18 |
| 1894 | 32 |
| 1895 | 39 |
| 1897 | 2 |
| 1898 | 3 |
| 1899 | 17 |
| 1903 | 19 |
| 1904 | 5 |
| 1907 | 1 |
| 1908 | 3 |
| 1909 | 14 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1914 | 7 |
| 1915 | 2 |
| 1916 | 3 |
| 1917 | 2 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1924 | 1 |
286 stories matching ascertain
- A Violent Quarrel in the Woods: The Stabbing of W.W. Powell
A logger is brought to Seattle for emergency surgery after a bloody confrontation in a rural camp.
- The Price of Power: Turbines Decimate Salmon Fry
Early experiments at the University of Washington reveal the deadly toll of hydroelectric turbines on young Columbia River salmon.
- The Walnut Grove Tax Swindler
An imposter is visiting homes in the Walnut Grove addition, masquerading as a deputy treasurer to shake down residents for fake tax debts.
- Federal Directive Protects Indigenous Land Occupancy
A government order instructs land offices to refuse entries by white settlers on land already cultivated by Indigenous people.
- The Forgotten Wreck of the St. Stephen
For six weeks, the federal revenue cutter Wolcott sat idle while the public clamored for a search for survivors of a shipwreck off the Washington coast.
- The Jury That Called Out King County’s Corruption
A scathing 1887 report from the Grand Jury exposes the mismanagement, dangerous roads, and broken record-keeping systems of pioneer-era Seattle.
- The Herald Editor Arrested in School Board Libel Feud
A simmering local dispute between Aberdeen's newspaper and the school board has escalated into a criminal charge.
- Infant Abandoned at Sisters of Charity Academy
A newborn child discovered on the steps of a local school is sent to an orphanage in Vancouver.
- The Ghost of Fort Steilacoom: Workers Cheated Out of Their Wages
A group of laborers at the new asylum construction site speak out against contractors and commissioners who left them unpaid and used rot-prone materials.
- The Economic Anxiety of the 1888 Seattle Labor Market
A century and a half ago, Seattle’s labor leaders were already wrestling with the volatile intersection of rapid immigration, wage standards, and protectionist sentiment.
- The Strange Salvage of the Snohomish River
After days of underwater labor, the sunken hull of a local vessel has finally been raised from the riverbed.
- The Broken Promise of the Puyallup Coal Road
A political scandal erupts as Seattle accuses an attorney of pocketing fees while failing to stop the Northern Pacific Railway from seizing massive swathes of King County land.
- The Search for Coal on Mill Creek
Sheriff Thomas Honey spearheads a serious effort to tap into South Bend's bituminous coal deposits.
- Tragedy at the Coal Bunkers
A tailor from a local ship was found dead on the railroad tracks in what authorities labeled an accidental death.
- Suspicious Deaths Aboard the Princess Louise
Health officials examine the bodies of three Chinese men found dead on a steamer arriving from Victoria.
- A Perilous Ascent on Front Street
A construction worker suffers a violent fall while building a new home, sparking a community health scare in 1870s Seattle.
- A Tragic Meal in Tacoma
Two young telegraph messengers are struck down by suspected food poisoning, leaving one dead.
- Midnight Explosions Rock Pacific Avenue
A late-night blaze at the Robinson Clothing Company forced hotel guests to flee into the streets in their nightclothes.
- The Barber Who Defied the Sabbath Laws
In Tacoma, a Seventh Day Adventist barber is taken to court for keeping his shop open on Sunday after choosing to close on his own Sabbath.
- A Fatal Ride on the Vista Hill
A young man searching for his friend discovers his mangled body by the railroad tracks.
- The Corpse in the Drifting Boat
A body found in an open boat in the Strait of Juan de Fuca leads authorities to a sealing schooner and a missing companion. Was it murder, or did both men drown?
- The Port Townsend Loyalty Meetings
Citizens organize to refute allegations of disloyalty published in regional newspapers.
- The Tragedy on the Mud Flats
A fisherman’s attempt to reach his boat in the dark ends in a horrific drowning, as bystanders mistake his cries for help.
- A Near-Fatal Carriage Crash on the Beach Road
A local man is severely injured when a startled team of horses plunges off an embankment, highlighting the dangers of early Seattle infrastructure.
- The Nickel Strike That Wasn’t a Boom—Yet
A Kittitas County nickel discovery promised one of the largest deposits in the country, but capital and roads had to be convinced before the wealth could move.